H.R. 2262 · Where this bill is now
Failed in the House
Failed Jan 13, 2026
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryExcludes voluntary training from work hours
This bill changes how work hours are counted under federal labor law. It says that if an employer offers training outside regular working hours and employees can choose whether to attend without any negative consequences, that training time won't count as paid hours worked, even if the employer runs the training.
How it affects you
If you're an employee, this could affect you if your employer offers voluntary training outside your normal schedule. You could attend training without it counting toward your work hours, but only if skipping it won't hurt your job or schedule in any way. Employers offering such training might benefit from clearer rules about which training programs they don't have to pay for.
Read the official summary (Reported to House, Dec 30, 2025)
Flexibility for Workers Education Act
This bill modifies the definition of hours worked under the Fair Labor Standards Act to exclude certain voluntary training that occurs outside an employee's regular working hours. Such training does not count as hours worked even if it is offered by the employer, provided that an employee's working conditions are not adversely affected by choosing not to participate and the employee does not perform any work for the employer during the training.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 2262
A BILL
Flexibility for Workers Education Act
Sponsor: Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-IA-2) · Introduced Mar 21, 2025 · Labor and Employment · 2 versions of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Jan 13, 2026: “Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.”
How Congress voted
Official roll callsHouse · On Passage · Jan 13, 2026
Passage Failed 209–215
| Party | Yes | No | Didn’t vote |
|---|---|---|---|
| Democrats | 0 | 209 | 4 |
| Republicans | 209 | 6 | 3 |
6 members voted against most of their party: 6 Republicans voted No.
Congress votes on whole bills and amendments, not on single sections.